Kevin Considine
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2021
Like many of my Camino buddies, the years are passing away and while I am not done, I do wonder how many more Caminos are in this 69 year old body. Having walked over 13,000 kilometers on The Camino since that late August day in 2015 when I walked my first starting in St. Jean Pied de Port, I certainly know that my spirit is still strong and hope to walk more.
Recently, I have heard and met with other old Camino friends and age is catching up to many of us.
We had dinner a few weeks back with Maggie from Australia, who is 69 and recovering from Cancer and most likely done walking the Camino. She explained this is quite possibly her last trip to Spain as well.
The week before, Jim, an American, was visiting us at our home in Muxia. In his late 70’s, he was considering renting our place and moving from Santiago but he struggled up our hill realizing he couldn’t handle it daily. Another Camino junkie whose body no longer may be able to handle a Camino.
Our friend Mick from Tipperary, who we visited recently on our way to walk one of the Celtic Caminos in Ireland, The Kerry Camino, is slowed down by a body racked with arthritis across all his joints. He is struggling with maintaining his health let alone walking a Camino.
Yet, we visited Maria at Albergue Leo in Villafranca a few weeks back and met 80 year old Giancarlo from Italy. He has walked many Caminos and has to go slow now, less than 15k per day but he is walking. Meeting him made me recall a stay here at Albergue Leo at the end of my longest walk, a 3,000 kilometer Camino in 2018. I happened to meet Jean, a Belgian, 84 years old. He told me he could no longer walk 20K but he could do 10-15k and slowly but surely he was going to make it to Santiago after 3 months.
On another Camino, I had left Pamplona one early morning and was heading up the mountain to Alto de Perdon and came across Jose and Encarnacion, an 85 year old couple from Madrid who had walked 760 kilometers across Spain on the Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago each of the previous 30 years. I had to ask Jose, “Why?” Jose explained; “For 3 reasons. One we enjoy walking and making a vacation of it. 2 for Jesus as we are catholics 3 for our souls. Beautiful.
Of course all of us Camino lovers face the challenges of aging. 5 years ago I walked 6,000 kilometers over a 12 month period and as many as 56 kilometers in a day. Now after 2 hip replacements and some other issues, it is a struggle to walk 25 to 30 kilometers. But that is a great thing about the Camino. It is easy enough to just decrease your daily kilometers adjusting to your own limitations.
In September, our Dutch friends, Cornie 81 and Johanna 83 visited and we picked them up at the Muxia bus stop. We live on top of a small hill so I took Johanna’s backpack and carried it the last 5 minutes up. “ This is heavy. What’s in here Johanna?”
Johanna, “My pacemaker equipment.”
She later admitted that this is probably her’s and Cornie’s last Camino but they can come and visit still and at least walk around Santiago and Muxia and other special places on The Way to keep themselves connected to the spirit of the Camino.
So back to my own situation, after 2 hip replacements in 2022 and 2023, I am struggling with continued back and leg pain caused by deterioration in some discs. Last Wednesday, I had a cortisone injection into my spine.
So which Camino to do?
I should probably be walking a Camino in Spain, but I am in Kathmandu, and hoping to walk my final Nepal pilgrimage. It’s been 5 years since my last visit and trek. In March of 2019 I walked the Annapurna Circuit and part of Annapurna Base Camp which required a challenging 10 hour hike over the 5,416 meter/17,769 feet Thorong La Pass. This is my 9th trip to Nepal over the past 38 years and while the Camino is a passion of mine, walking in the mountains of Nepal is every bit as special. Unfortunately walking in the Himalayas is somewhat more challenging and requires one to be in a stronger physical condition.
So tomorrow Mika and I, along with our Camino buddy 65 year old John of Wexford, Ireland will set out for the small village of Machhakhola to begin the Manaslu and Tsum Valley Pilgrimage/Trek. Unlike my last couple of treks here which I did on my own, I decided to hire a porter realizing I needed all the help I could get to get over Larkya La Pass at 5,106 meters/16,753 feet.
With the help of Santiago and Kukai, hopefully we will emerge in Pokhara in 3 weeks time.
Buen Camino. From the blog of global pilgrim Aging On The Camino
Recently, I have heard and met with other old Camino friends and age is catching up to many of us.
We had dinner a few weeks back with Maggie from Australia, who is 69 and recovering from Cancer and most likely done walking the Camino. She explained this is quite possibly her last trip to Spain as well.
The week before, Jim, an American, was visiting us at our home in Muxia. In his late 70’s, he was considering renting our place and moving from Santiago but he struggled up our hill realizing he couldn’t handle it daily. Another Camino junkie whose body no longer may be able to handle a Camino.
Our friend Mick from Tipperary, who we visited recently on our way to walk one of the Celtic Caminos in Ireland, The Kerry Camino, is slowed down by a body racked with arthritis across all his joints. He is struggling with maintaining his health let alone walking a Camino.
Yet, we visited Maria at Albergue Leo in Villafranca a few weeks back and met 80 year old Giancarlo from Italy. He has walked many Caminos and has to go slow now, less than 15k per day but he is walking. Meeting him made me recall a stay here at Albergue Leo at the end of my longest walk, a 3,000 kilometer Camino in 2018. I happened to meet Jean, a Belgian, 84 years old. He told me he could no longer walk 20K but he could do 10-15k and slowly but surely he was going to make it to Santiago after 3 months.
On another Camino, I had left Pamplona one early morning and was heading up the mountain to Alto de Perdon and came across Jose and Encarnacion, an 85 year old couple from Madrid who had walked 760 kilometers across Spain on the Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago each of the previous 30 years. I had to ask Jose, “Why?” Jose explained; “For 3 reasons. One we enjoy walking and making a vacation of it. 2 for Jesus as we are catholics 3 for our souls. Beautiful.
Of course all of us Camino lovers face the challenges of aging. 5 years ago I walked 6,000 kilometers over a 12 month period and as many as 56 kilometers in a day. Now after 2 hip replacements and some other issues, it is a struggle to walk 25 to 30 kilometers. But that is a great thing about the Camino. It is easy enough to just decrease your daily kilometers adjusting to your own limitations.
In September, our Dutch friends, Cornie 81 and Johanna 83 visited and we picked them up at the Muxia bus stop. We live on top of a small hill so I took Johanna’s backpack and carried it the last 5 minutes up. “ This is heavy. What’s in here Johanna?”
Johanna, “My pacemaker equipment.”
She later admitted that this is probably her’s and Cornie’s last Camino but they can come and visit still and at least walk around Santiago and Muxia and other special places on The Way to keep themselves connected to the spirit of the Camino.
So back to my own situation, after 2 hip replacements in 2022 and 2023, I am struggling with continued back and leg pain caused by deterioration in some discs. Last Wednesday, I had a cortisone injection into my spine.
So which Camino to do?
I should probably be walking a Camino in Spain, but I am in Kathmandu, and hoping to walk my final Nepal pilgrimage. It’s been 5 years since my last visit and trek. In March of 2019 I walked the Annapurna Circuit and part of Annapurna Base Camp which required a challenging 10 hour hike over the 5,416 meter/17,769 feet Thorong La Pass. This is my 9th trip to Nepal over the past 38 years and while the Camino is a passion of mine, walking in the mountains of Nepal is every bit as special. Unfortunately walking in the Himalayas is somewhat more challenging and requires one to be in a stronger physical condition.
So tomorrow Mika and I, along with our Camino buddy 65 year old John of Wexford, Ireland will set out for the small village of Machhakhola to begin the Manaslu and Tsum Valley Pilgrimage/Trek. Unlike my last couple of treks here which I did on my own, I decided to hire a porter realizing I needed all the help I could get to get over Larkya La Pass at 5,106 meters/16,753 feet.
With the help of Santiago and Kukai, hopefully we will emerge in Pokhara in 3 weeks time.
Buen Camino. From the blog of global pilgrim Aging On The Camino
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